Housewives Nightlife, Episode 3: Virginia wine and D.C. Fashion?

By
Lavanya Ramanathan

If you don't live inside the Beltway, Episode 3 would have left you with the impression that all Washingtonians do is pop bottles of Virginia wine and engage in esoteric (slightly buzzed, perhaps?) dissections of international politics.

And if you do live in Washington? You're thinking, "Petit whaaa?"

The show appears to regard winemaking as a close second to politics in Washington, and well, if you believe that, then you were probably also surprised by Thursday night's bombshell revelation that the Salahis didn't actually spring for that party at the Park.

The Salahis can't stop plugging their connection to Northern Virginia's Oasis Winery (shuttered, report the ladies of the Reliable Source), and in this episode, Stacie Scott Turner, her hubby and the Salahis trekked to another winery, Sugarleaf Vineyards. Then, Mary Schmidt Amons raved about Oasis's reds. ... Ugh, It was like one big ad, paid for by Virginia's wine industry.

In fact, wine is a fairly new business in these parts, with many wineries having been built only in the past 20 years -- and an astonishing number in just the past three. But there is indeed a boomlet underway, thanks to plenty of farmland, a little science and, let's be real, lots of interest from cultural tourists.

What the area has really developed a knack for is unique whites (Viognier, Albariño) and one solid red, Cabernet Franc. But will you find local wines in every restaurant in town? Only if the Salahis continue to bring it everywhere with them.

The best way to get a taste is to take a Housewives-style trip to a few Virginia wineries (sans the tacky white limo, of course). Harvest season and the fall colors make the coming months a great time to go. Check out our Best Bets here, and get more background on what experts say about local wines here. If you're interested in Sugarleaf -- the African American-owned winery seen in the show -- you'll have to head farther south, to the Charlottesville area, a worthy roadtrip.

When the 'wives weren't wine-tasting, a few found themselves at Saks Fifth Avenue for a charity fashion event, a so-common-it's-kind-of-scary scenario here in Washington.

Yes, for all the knocks we have taken over the years for our collective fashion sense, Washingtonians sure do love to set up a runway -- anywhere -- and have us a New York-style walkoff. (But only if it is for charity.)

Just look at all the "couture" events coming up: Fashion's Night Out hits Georgetown on Sept. 10 (How Housewifey will it be? Just look at the host committee, which includes Lynda Erkiletian, Mary Schmidt Amons and the housewife with the best hair, Paul Wharton.) Then there's the District Sample Sale on Sept. 16 (and look who's on the "Haute Committee"! Housewife Mary Amons!) And let's not forget October, which brings Nova (that's the aspirational term for Northern Virginia) Fashion Week.

Decked out in their best dresses (probably purchased after some fashion show), the housewives closed Episode 3 by heading out on the town to a bash thrown for celeb hair guru Ted Gibson at the Dupont Hotel in Dupont Circle. Want to see it for yourself? Exclusive as it looks, it's fairly easy for any commoner to walk right in -- right into the hotel's bar, Bar Dupont, anyway. The Gurus aren't big fans; check out this ode to the stinky old bar, Biddy Mulligan's, that sleek, chic Bar Dupont replaced.

Something not right with these people.All they do is gossip, drink wine, bicker and pretend they are better than others and are in a special "station" in life than each other and others. Surely they must have something constructive to do with their time.

If you watched the most recent episode of Real Sports on HBO you would see that Oasis Winery is not producing ANY wine these days given that the fields are dry, the vines non-existent and the property in foreclosure/bankruptcy.

I love wine and live in the state of Virginia. I have tried numerous wines through the years and in my opionion (and that is mine alone), the wines are not just not that good. I keep trying out of a sense of loyalty, but remain unimpressed.

I think wine plays a much bigger part in certain DC demimondes then we earth people might suspect. For a first hand DC housewife view of whine and roses (sans the roses) check out Carol Joynt's blog. All she does is whine about how much trouble she got into because her late husband collected but didn't pay DC sales tax (and we somehow owe her for this) and consume wine. Getting wine, seeing wine, thinking about wine, stopping by from early morning to late at night, everywhere and anywhere to share someone's wine, wine with breakfast, wine mid morning, lunch wines, etc. - the only thing she never seems to do is to buy any wine.

Of course the scene at Nathan's was always a big secret - NOT! Joynt is writing a book - can we wait - about how wronged she has been. I hope that there is therein an honest assessment of the impact that drugs and alcohol can have on one's judgment and the impact of life decisions resulting from that that judgment. One could almost think of it as an inventory.

Have no interest in the show but, can tell you Oasis Wine is crap. Virginia does have some very good winemakers. Check out one of the two annual VA wine festivals. If you can dodge all the drunks and put up with some swill, you can find some real gems.

I just want to comment about the wine comments in the article. Don't diss Virginia wine. I live in Loudoun County were there are many a winery and let me tell you Virginia has many great wines. You need to go out and do tastings. I am a former New Yorker and Fairfield County, Ct. resident with pretty discriminating taste. There are many impressive wines and the Norton which is a red. It is a native grown grape to Virginia. An awesome wine depending on the winery. Restaurants don't carry alot of Virginia wines because it takes alot to produce them and probably would be too expensive for the restaurants to carry them. As far as the housewives- they are alot nicer, more well spoken and classier than the wives on the other series with the exception of LuAnn from New York- she is a class act.

Why is the Post, an award winning newspaper, covering the Sahlahis? They are trash and criminals! Pay your bills please. I still don't understand why Bravo is promoting these criminals. Can someone explain?

The wines around northern Virginia aren't that great. However down south of Charlotsville there are some excelent small wineries. The region is much better suited for cultivating grapes. I particularly like Cardinal Point for reds and Berry Hill Farms for desert wines.

Thank you, @teamohall, for coming out and saying it - Oasis isn't much to brag about. My now-husband and I went there a few years ago, when it was still operating. It was one of a handful of Virginia wineries that we didn't bring anything back from; to boot, the service was awful and the tasting room empty. It is the only winery (and we've been to a good number around Charlottesville, up through the Shenandoah, and into NoVa) that we'd vowed never to go back to.

Thanks so much W Post for the mention. Both District Sample Sale and NOVA Fashion Week are doing our best to raise the bar in fashion for everyone in the DC/MD/VA areas. Look forward to more as fashion is rising. www.novafashionweek.com